


we deserve a soft epilogue, my love

by lunardistance



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Happy Ending, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28068357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunardistance/pseuds/lunardistance
Summary: What happens after the world is saved?Well, life goes on. Yongsun takes care of the Starry Night while Byulyi makes deliveries all over the continent, and together they settle into the peacetime.(A Final Fantasy VII-inspired AU.)
Relationships: Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Comments: 20
Kudos: 48





	1. get better day by day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alykapedia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alykapedia/gifts).



> This one has actually been sitting around since "reality in BLACK" and was inspired by the Final Fantasy-esque clothes of Moonsun in the third universe. I wanted to post this only once I'd finished the whole thing, but I've been in a writing rut for a while, so as a challenge to myself, I'll be posting the first part now and pushing myself to finish the second part in time for Byul's birthday next week. Wish me luck!
> 
> As always, shoutout to Aly for bouncing ideas around with me and gamely running with me on my wild tangents, as well as titling this baby.

Byulyi is often already on the road before Yongsun manages to wake up. True to its name, “Starry Night” closes up just a few hours before dawn, and the bar is always packed full of customers enough to make Yongsun’s shifts exhausting.

It’s the good kind of tiring, though. An exhaustion born of hard work from doing something that she loves, instead of being perpetually tired and aching from fighting enemies and trying to save the world.

The bar is quiet when Yongsun finally pads out in the late morning, a marked contrast from the rowdiness of the place last night. Walking through the swinging kitchen door to the more private section of the house, she glances over at the board tacked on the wall. Three destinations are plotted out for today; judging by the distances and the marked order of the locations, Byulyi must be planning to return in time for dinner.

It isn’t uncommon for Byulyi to take longer trips away, as her delivery service often takes her to all corners of the continent. By now, Yongsun has known her long enough to know that she is fully capable of taking care of herself, so she does not worry for Byulyi, either.

It’s just that she gets restless when Byulyi is away for too long, is all. (May the Red Moon strike her before she would ever admit that to Byulyi’s face, though.)

She moves to check on the dogs first, tutting quietly to herself when she sees the dirt still flaking their paws. Byulyi’s corgi pack tends to chase after her whenever she leaves for a delivery, and her precious Jjing Jjing has picked up on the habit. She gives their limbs a quick rubdown before refilling their food and water bowls, and leaves them to snooze the rest of the morning away.

Yongsun then makes her way to the dining table, a small thing that is a cozy fit for just four people. There is a souffle omelette left out for her on a plate, only slightly burned around the edges; after heating it up and taking an experimental bite, she decides that it is acceptably salty and finishes the rest of it off.

After breakfast, Yongsun heads to the room they had repurposed into something of a sparring area. On days that Byulyi doesn’t have any deliveries, they often spar together to keep their skills sharp. These days, the most Yongsun does is to break up bar fights and throw out particularly rowdy customers, but Byulyi swears that her punch is as mean as ever.

By the time she’s worked herself up to a good sweat, she is fully awake and ready for the day. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Yongsun gathers up the dogs and heads to the local market to restock on supplies for the bar. She chats happily with Soyeon while arranging the next liquor delivery, and gently nudges the dogs away from sniffing at the display on Bomi and Chorong’s stall while deciding on some flowers to brighten up the bar.

“Here, for the pups.” Wonsik nudges an extra bag into Yongsun’s hand after she has finished paying for her order at his stall.

“Ah, that’s too much!” Yongsun shakes her head and tries to return the bag, holding it out of reach of the dogs’ curious noses.

Wonsik laughs as the dogs begin to wag their tails eagerly, clearly having caught the scent of more food for them. “Trust me, your orders alone could keep my stall running. Besides, Byulyi did a favor for me the other day on one of her delivery runs, so it’s the least I could do.”

“They’re already spoiled enough, especially this one,” Yongsun sighs, tapping Daebak’s nose gently with her knee. “But thank you, it’s really appreciated.”

Wonsik waves her off with a grin and turns to his next customer, while Yongsun packs the bag carefully away along with the other groceries and ushers the dogs home. It’s a pleasant enough day that the walk back to the bar is a nice one, with the added advantage of getting the dogs out for fresh air.

By the time they’ve gotten back to Starry Night, it’s just about time for a late lunch.

“Enjoy it, kids, that’s the last treat you’re getting for a while,” Yongsun tells the pups while doling out the cuts that Wonsik had given. It’s a lie, she knows – Byulyi has a habit of bringing back souvenirs not only for her, but also for the corgi gang and Jjing Jjing, and Yongsun suspects she is the primary reason why Daebak is particularly chubby these days.

With the dogs taken care of, Yongsun prepares lunch for herself. The phone rings just as she has finished plating the fried rice, so with a quick check to make sure the stove has been turned off and the pups aren’t in any danger of reaching her own meal, Yongsun dries her hands on her apron and answers the call.

“Ddunie!” Byulyi’s voice greets her from the other end.

“You’re in a good mood,” Yongsun smiles at Byulyi’s bright tone. “Good trip so far?”

“The shop I delivered to this morning heard that we have dogs, so they gave us some puppy treats.”

“Ah, you keep spoiling them!” Yongsun complains – she _knew_ this would happen. “Do you know how heavy Daebakkie is nowadays? I’m making you give them a bath next time, see how you like hauling them around.”

“But then how else would you keep your arms in shape?” Byulyi teases.

“By knocking the lights out of you!” Yongsun threatens, but the only answer she receives is a laugh. “Wonsik just gave them spare meat cuts earlier, too. At this rate, I’ll need to roll them around the house.”

“Oh, that was nice of him,” Byulyi remarks. From the munching noises Yongsun can hear, Byulyi is talking to her over a mid-afternoon snack, so Yongsun hauls the phone over to the table and proceeds to do the same.

They spend the meal like that, talking to each other as though they are in the same room. At some point, Keongang trots over for cuddles, so Yongsun hauls the pup into her lap and lets Gang pant happily into the receiver for Byulyi to coo over.

“Alright, I need to get to my next delivery now if I want to make it back by dinner.”

“Travel safely. No using your phone until you’re at a stop,” Yongsun reminds sternly.

“Yes, Yong,” Byulyi replies, the roll of her eyes practically audible in her tone. “See you later! Don’t eat without me, okay?”

“Then you’d better hurry up,” Yongsun says, laughing at Byulyi’s groan before hanging up.

A rap at the back door punctuates the end of the call. “Noona? Are you in?”

Glancing at the clock, Yongsun realizes how much time has passed since the start of the call. “That talkative Moon Byulyi,” she grumbles to herself, stepping around the dogs to open the door.

“Hi, noona! Hi, kids!” Dongmyeong greets happily, crouching down as the dogs crowd around him excitedly.

“Sorry, Byulyi called and I lost track of time,” Yongsun said, closing the door behind him to keep the dogs from wandering out but keeping it unlatched for the other staff to come in. “The groceries are still on the table, so go ahead and prep while I get the pups settled. Have the others help you when the drinks come in later, okay?”

“Yes, noona.” Dongmyeong gives Jjing Jjing a last scratch behind her ear and salutes Yongsun.

With Dongmyeong on the task, Yongsun corrals the dogs into their den room, making sure to give them extra pats before leaving them to prepare herself. By the time she has cleaned up and changed for the night’s shift, the rest of the staff of Starry Night is present and getting ready for opening as well.

Yongsun sinks into a flurry of activity, double-checking the latest delivery of goods and going over the day’s menu with the rest of the staff. The shift to a warmer season means new ingredients available on the market, and Yongsun is always looking for different ways to keep their offerings exciting. Byulyi had brought back some sweet fruits from the neighboring region last week, inspiring Yongsun to think of a way to incorporate them into the menu. She hasn’t quite perfected it yet, but a breakthrough is on the horizon. She can feel it.

The first customers begin trickling in by late afternoon, mostly families and young couples looking for an early dinner. Yongsun assumes her role as bartender and proprietor, greeting regulars warmly and making recommendations to new customers. Despite now owning one of the more popular resto bars in the region, she has yet to adjust to being a people person. That’s still more Byulyi’s forte than hers. Even so, she loves seeing customers genuinely enjoy their time at the Starry Night, and she thinks she gets better at her job with each passing day.

The night goes on, with the dinner crowd filling up the entire restaurant. There’s even a queue outside, but Yonghoon manages the line well and charms the customers into waiting patiently.

Yongsun’s stomach begins to rumble behind her apron. The rest of the staff have already taken their meal break, and as tempted as Yongsun was to dig in with them, she knows Byulyi would never let her hear the end of it if she went ahead.

As if on cue, the familiar rumble of the Satellite is heard pulling into the garage behind Starry Night. This is immediately followed by a chorus of cheerful barks – Giwook must have let them out to greet Byulyi.

“I’ll take over, noona,” Kanghyun offers, already ducking behind the counter and tying an apron behind his back.

Yongsun shoots him a grateful smile and heads for the kitchen, where Giwook is wiping his shoes at the mat. She pokes at his shoulder as she passes him by.

“Wash your hands before you go back in,” she chides playfully, waving at his salute before swinging the door open to meet the sight of Moon Byulyi being overwhelmed by their pack of dogs.

“Yong! Help me!” Byulyi cries upon catching sight of her, reaching out a hand that is immediately attacked by a wet snout.

“That’s what you get for bringing them more food.” Yongsun crosses her arms over her chest, watching Byulyi fall flat on her back and be mauled by doggy kisses before finally taking pity on her and hauling her upright.

“Traitor. I thought we had each other’s back,” Byulyi pretends to pout while dusting herself off where she had been pressed to the ground.

“And I thought you were supposed to come home before dinner,” Yongsun counters.

“Ah, you ate without me?” Byulyi sulks for real this time.

Yongsun rolls her eyes. “Of course not, otherwise you’d be whining all night and scaring all the customers away.”

Byulyi’s pout morphs into a smug grin. “Aw, you know I’m the reason they come.”

“I’ll be turning you out with them by closing time if you don’t clean up for dinner right now,” Yongsun threatens.

Byulyi catches her balled fist before it can make contact with her shoulder, and pulls her into a hug. “I’m home,” she whispers into Yongsun’s ear.

Yongsun grumbles but settles into Byulyi’s embrace. The pups snuffle at their feet, Jjing Jjing sitting by her shoes while Daebak, Haengwoon, and Keongang nose at the interesting scents of Byulyi’s soles.

It’s a lot different from the nights they would spend on the road, sharing tiny rooms in old inns if they were lucky and camped out wherever they could find shelter if they weren’t. Instead of the pups curled up at their feet, there would be Wheein and Hyejin murmuring to each other on the other side of the fire, along with whichever companion would be traveling with them at the time.

Most nights back then, they would be tending to their wounds. Those that weren’t knocked out by some form of healing potion would take night watch, keeping an eye out for creatures and soldiers alike. Sometimes Yongsun would wake up from such a medicine-induced slumber to an iron tang filling her nose, and find Byulyi washing herself of blood in a nearby stream.

Yongsun turns her nose into the crook of Byulyi’s neck and breathes in the mixed scent of gasoline and sweat; lays her head on Byulyi’s chest and listens to the proof of her life. “Welcome home, Byul.”


	2. under the same sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondays are their favorite days. Unless Byulyi has long distance deliveries, they close the Starry Night on Mondays to spend time together. Today, Byulyi has something a little different in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me writing this chapter: hmmmm how many MAMAMOO song references can i make
> 
> Happy birthday, our Moon Byulyi! Also patting myself on the back for finally finishing this~

Waking up early is a habit Byulyi developed way back from _those_ days, but it’s never served her wrong. During their quest to save the world, it ensured that no matter how exhausted she was from a tough battle, she would always be up in time to scout the area and make sure no one had snuck up on them during the night.

Nowadays, it means that she always gets an early start to her deliveries. The sunrise is beautiful outside of the city, with the air still cool enough to make the morning leg of her journeys pleasant.

And on rest days like these, it allows her to wake up before Yongsun to watch her drool all over her pillow.

Despite her best efforts to stay up until closing time last night, Yongsun had caught Byulyi dozing off while elbows deep in soapy sink water and ushered her off to bed. She had plans of bothering Yongsun for the rest of her shift, but the overnight delivery along the coast had taken its toll on her; she hadn’t even stirred when Yongsun slipped into bed beside her hours later.

Maybe she’s getting old after all. Byulyi weighs the pros and cons of tweaking Yongsun’s nose until she wakes up, before eventually deciding that Yongsun always being a year older than her is punishment enough, and gets up to start the day.

The sky outside has barely lightened, and only Haengwoon stirs when she passes their den by. Even then, her ear only flickers in Byulyi’s direction before she decides to go back to sleep.

Byulyi smiles fondly at the dog pile and continues on to the kitchen, retrieving ingredients from the pantry to start on breakfast and the big lunch they would have later on. She’s never been the best cook, perfectly content to survive off rations and preserved goods and whatever could be foraged and roasted on a makeshift spit, but she has been learning. Slower than Yongsun, perhaps, but then again, the latter runs a restobar.

Instead of only being a means to survive, cooking now means taking the time to add flavor to food. To transform ingredients into something tasty and filling, because she is no longer cooking just for herself, but also for the people she loves enough to spend this effort on.

“Smells good,” a sleepy voice murmurs behind her, before she feels the press of a face against the line of her spine.

“You’re up early,” Byulyi remarks, careful to keep her focus on the cooking, both to keep the food from burning and Yongsun from startling out of her rare display of initiated physical affection.

“My stomach woke me up,” Yongsun yawns, rubbing her face against Byulyi’s shirt before pushing away to find the water heater.

They settle into a comfortable routine, moving around each other in the kitchen like clockwork. Yongsun prepares a batch of morning tea while Byulyi finishes off the eggs she had been frying and finds a couple of plates for the two of them.

“Are we expecting guests?” Yongsun asks, glancing over at the rest of the food.

“Secret.” Byulyi winks.

Yongsun groans and pulls her own plate toward her, shoveling a large spoonful into her mouth so that the glare she shoots at Byulyi is rendered completely ineffective. Byulyi has half a mind to poke her cheeks – maybe later, when Yongsun doesn’t have utensils in hand.

“Did you close up okay?” she asks instead, starting on her own meal.

“Yep. A couple of tables got a little rowdy, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Sorry I dozed off on you.”

“You came from the edge of the continent, it’s _fine_. Besides, Harin took the last shift, so clean-up was a breeze.”

Byulyi hums, their legs tangling comfortably together under the table. Yongsun catches her up on the new couple that has moved into town, and her ideas for a special dish in celebration of the coming holiday. Byulyi tells her about running into Hwanwoong and the rest of the boys, and how rebuilding has been progressing since the Fall of the Red Moon.

By the time they finish, the dogs are already awake and nosing at their legs for attention.

“Hm. Better feed them and take them out for a run before they get too restless,” Yongsun muses, leaning down to run her fingers gently over Jjing Jjing’s head.

Byulyi grins, nodding over in the direction of the rest of the food. “I’ve got something else in mind.”

A picnic is her grand idea, born out of traveling many miles on the road and seeing so many grand sights but always on her own. She takes pictures when she can with a camera she had saved up for (the government still sends them a monthly stipend as compensation for saving the world, but she tries not to touch that if she can avoid it), an interesting piece of technology that prints photographs immediately after they are taken.

The frames allow for notes to be scribbled on them; oftentimes she writes things that she would have said to Yongsun if she were there with her. Then, she collects them all to take home with her, some of them to be put up on the wall in Starry Night ( _“these flightless birds squawk a lot but you can always outscream them”_ ) or to be tucked away in their room ( _“the sun shone here for the first time in days and i thought of you, but then again, i always do”_ ).

Still, it’s different to actually enjoy the sights with someone, especially after having gotten used to a life on the road where, more often than not, there was no choice but to eat wherever she could. Byulyi can barely remember a meal from back then that was not shared in the company of Yongsun, Wheein, and Hyejin, whether it be in a crowded bar or underneath the wide-open sky.

It’s that brilliant view that greets them again as the Satellite speeds up to a roar once they exit the town limits. The sunlight gleams off the flower beds that line the highway, the fragrance catching in their noses even as they drive past.

Byulyi feels Yongsun’s grip around her waist tighten, their helmets knocking gently together as she shuffles closer to her on the seat.

“You alright?” Byulyi asks, hopefully loud enough to be heard.

“Eyes on the road!” Yongsun yells back, pinching Byulyi lightly in the side when she is snickered at. Despite riding on the Satellite with Byulyi countless times before, it has been a while since Yongsun has ridden in tandem. Then again, Yongsun wouldn’t be Yongsun without being their resident scaredy cat.

Byulyi glances down at the sidecar, grinning at the sight of the dogs having the time of their lives. At least they’re having fun.

Eventually, they come to a stop at a spot that Byulyi occasionally uses on her trips. An orchard of magnolia trees sprawls out just a short distance from the highway, and it is an easy thing to roll the Satellite under the cover of a particularly voluminous tree and to set up a picnic blanket underneath the cool shade.

They let the dogs run around while they lay out the food, an impressive spread that Byulyi doubts even they would be able to finish in one sitting. Once Byulyi divulged her plan, Yongsun had taken it upon herself to add to the feast with leftover dishes from the Starry Night, stating that they might as well make a special occasion out of it. Still, she’s not complaining – she’s always up for Yongsun’s cooking.

A quick whistle calls the dogs right back over, and the four eagerly jostle each other for the food strewn out for them. Byulyi and Yongsun settle back with their own loaded plates, chatting idly about everything and nothing and occasionally pausing to rub a furry ear or twitch a ticklish foot from curious snouts poking about.

Eventually, the pups finish their meals. True to form, Jjing Jjing and Daebak curl up together to take a nap, while Haengwoon and Keongang wander back out into the field to play with each other. Yongsun pulls out a book, one she has been talking about wanting to finish but never having the time for, and stretches herself out along the blanket, head cradled in Byulyi’s lap as she starts to read.

Byulyi reaches out for her camera without dislodging Yongsun, and begins to fiddle with the settings. After a few minutes, Yongsun’s breathing starts to deepen. Byulyi sneaks a glimpse and finds that Yongsun has fallen asleep one page in.

She turns off the flash and snaps a quick photograph. Luckily, Yongsun is sleeping too deeply to be stirred by the whirring sound. The resulting print is admired with satisfaction, and then tucked into the inner pocket of Byulyi’s jacket.

Byulyi sets the camera down to retrieve the book from Yongsun’s hands, slotting the bookmark carefully back into place before moving Yongsun’s arms into a more comfortable position for a nap.

An hour passes by just like that. Byulyi thinks she must have dozed off at some point, because she remembers blinking her eyes open to see Keongang and Haengwoon cuddled up with the other dogs to take their own nap as well.

Then she blinks again to find the shadow of a large airship hovering over them, and she knows she has definitely fallen asleep.

“Unnie!” a familiar voice calls from the airship, matched by a tiny pair of arms waving frantically from over the side.

Byulyi squints up, shading her eyes against the sunlight to find another pair of arms waving alongside the first person. She catches sight of the ship’s name proudly emblazoned on the stern: _Windflower_.

“Wheeinie? Hyejinnie?” she exclaims, startling Yongsun and the dogs out of their sleep.

“Unnies!” the two of them scream back.

“Bwuh? The kids?” Yongsun mumbles, pushing herself up from Byulyi’s lap.

Byulyi laughs and tugs her in for a firm hug as they watch the Windflower land on a wide expanse of grass.

It isn’t long before two young women scramble over the side of the airship and take off running in their direction. Hyejin makes it to them first, showing no signs of slowing down as she approaches, and the two of them brace themselves as she unapologetically crashes into them in a tight embrace.

Wheein makes it to them a short while after, having slowed down to pet the dog pack that had come up to greet her, and she arrives at the spectacle of Hyejin pressing kisses to Byulyi and Yongsun’s faces. “Finally, a different target for her,” she snickers.

“How did you two find us?” Byulyi asks, tugging Wheein down to give her a tight hug as well.

“We followed the scent of food,” Hyejin replies mischievously as she finally allows Yongsun to sit up.

Yongsun huffs and shares a look with Byulyi. “Good thing we brought extra after all.”

“Let’s eat, let’s eat!” Wheein cheers, to which Hyejin answers with a loud whoop, and the two of them dig into the rest of the food.

Byulyi sits back with Yongsun, helping the other to comb her hair back into some semblance of order (she had gotten the brunt of Hyejin’s affections) as Wheein and Hyejin alternate between eating and telling tales of what they had been up to. It is very amusing to confirm that some of the wild rumors Byulyi had caught on the road are actually the antics of the ex-Soldier and former flower seller.

“Good thing you caught us all the way out here instead of heading straight for Starry Night,” remarks Yongsun.

“Yeah, well, our built-in homing devices still seem to work,” Wheein chuckles humorlessly, tapping at the side of her neck. Underneath the tattoo ink, the scourge stain can still be seen glowing faintly; Byulyi feels her own scourge stains throb in response, and she knows by the way Hyejin reaches up to her own neck that hers has as well.

“Ah… I forgot, I’m sorry,” Yongsun murmurs, her gaze fixed on the other tattoo along Wheein’s collarbone, knowing that these are not the only ones covering their skins.

Wheein shrugs. “They don’t hurt anymore. Not since the Rainy Season.” Her lips pull into a wicked grin as she rolls up her sleeve. “Plus they give me excuses to get more.”

Yongsun gasps as Wheein unveils the latest addition to her growing collection, a delicate set of butterflies along her forearm. Not to be outdone, Hyejin bares her own wrist and shows off the tattoo along the side of her arm. Byulyi joins in to show off the delicately drawn portrait on the outside of her bicep.

Predictably enough, this is followed by the three of them cajoling Yongsun about how it is high time for her to get one as well, to which she responds with her usual attempts at changing the topic.

This is what Byulyi loves about their bond – that they can spend time apart doing their own things but ultimately come back together and pick things up like nothing has changed. Even their teasing of Yongsun is a cherished pastime.

“Oh, speaking of which,” Hyejin pipes up, glancing over at Wheein.

Wheein rolls her eyes. “Wow, I can’t believe you would say something like that and then leave it to me to explain,” she grouses through a mouthful of meat.

“Wheeinie explains things better,” Hyejin singsongs.

Byulyi’s brow furrows. “What has to do with the scourge?”

“Not that per se,” Wheein answers while Hyejin grins victoriously from the side, “just some lingering side effects. Have you heard about the mountain town being terrorized by a rogue pack of wolves?”

“Yeeees,” Byulyi drawls, watching the two younger women carefully. “Isn’t that something that can be handled by your usual group of hunters?”

“Not when the wildlife has apparently been drinking from a lake still infected with the scourge. Local hunters haven’t had much success, so they are calling for interested parties with a more _advanced_ set of skills.”

“You mean bounty hunters?” Yongsun’s brow raises this time.

“Eh, potato, po-tah-to,” Hyejin shrugs, popping a mouthful of said food into her mouth.

Yongsun folds her arms over her chest. “And you’re telling us this because…?”

Wheein and Hyejin turn away from Yongsun to make pleading eyes at Byulyi. “Why me?” Byulyi sputters, feeling Yongsun turn a firm gaze onto her as well.

“The reward money is at thousands of gil!” exclaims Hyejin.

“Haven’t you been getting your stipend?” Yongsun asks.

Hyejin capitulates quickly. “Okay, we just wanna go and kick butt. But! We wanna kick butt _together_.”

“Come on, it’ll be like old times!” Wheein joins the wheedling. “And those people really do need help. They’ve been sending in a lot of teams but, well, Soldiers are spread pretty thinly with the ongoing rehabilitation efforts, and you know there aren’t as many new recruits nowadays.”

Byulyi and Yongsun share a look, an entire silent conversation playing out between them.

Eventually, Yongsun sighs and leans back on her hands. “I haven’t exactly been keeping my fighting skills up to par,” she says, albeit in a resigned manner.

“Didn’t you just haul that guy over your shoulder the other night for trying to pick a fight with the other patrons?” Byulyi ponders aloud. She receives a playful dirty look and a half-hearted shove to the arm for her cheek.

“There’s no such thing as a rusty Fire Fist from our Solar!” Hyejin crows, to which Yongsun lets out a howl of embarrassment.

“And we can’t go in without our Moonstar and her mighty Eclipse!” Wheein grins and nudges Byulyi with her foot, to which she only shakes her head.

“You know they’re just going to go in anyway,” Byulyi tells Yongsun outright. “Might as well make sure they don’t cause too much trouble while they’re at it.”

Yongsun peers out from where she had flung her hands over her face at the reminder of her old moniker. “Oh, fine, I’ll ask the girls if they can watch over the bar for a few weeks.”

Wheein and Hyejin let out twin yells of joy before Hyejin flings herself over Yongsun again, dragging Wheein into the impromptu hug. Byulyi is pulled down by sheer proximity to Yongsun, and the dogs think this is all in good fun and jump into the pile as well.

Later, after they have packed up and are preparing to return to town, Byulyi catches Yongsun rubbing over her wrist. “What’s up? Did you get a bee sting?”

She shakes her head. “No, just thinking if I should… I mean, you all already have them, so I wonder if I should get a tattoo as well.”

In front of the others, Byulyi might have risen to the bait, for Yongsun dangles them so easily despite never meaning to. But she catches the slight pout to her lip that says Yongsun is thinking about this deeply.

Byulyi shucks her chin gently. “Only if you really want to, alright?”

Even Yongsun seems surprised that Byulyi hasn’t immediately said yes. Byulyi chuckles and shoves Yongsun’s helmet lightly onto her head, leaving her to fasten it on properly for herself.

Honestly, Byulyi prefers it this way; that Yongsun does not feel the need to get a tattoo because she has no scourge stains of her own, and if ever she does in the future, it would be completely of her own volition.

“Hey, we’ll go ahead!” Hyejin calls out from the Windflower. Wheein has just finished closing up the side of the airship behind Daebak’s furry bottom – she had insisted on the dogs riding back with them to town, much to the chagrin of her cat, Ggomo.

“Yep, we’ll meet you there! Yong’s still taking her sweet time!” Byulyi waves them on, chuckling as Yongsun punches her in the shoulder.

She reaches into her pocket, admiring some of the additions to the photos she has taken today—Wheein and Hyejin posing in front of the Windflower, the pups sitting in a line with flower crowns on each of their heads, and two group shots taken off-center until they finally managed to get the angle right—before tucking them back in safely to be taken back to Starry Night.

It will be a long time before the repercussions of the MONSTER project are diminished completely. Until then, they will take things one day at a time.


End file.
